The world of Hogwarts and the world of cinema share the same essence: everything is magic. The difference between the two, however, is that in films, magic becomes a little more complex to make happen. In the productions of the successful franchise that adapted JK Rolling’s books, a specific scene left Harry Potter himself and the entire film cast with their hair on end, having to do 95 takes of the same scene
There are eight films in total, and there is no shortage of adventures. The so-called ‘Potterheads’ had the 2000s all to themselves, with new adventures that took Harry, Hermione and Ron to the most bizarre and fun dangers in the wizarding world. But none of them have the same appeal as the final chapter of the story that led Harry Potter down the dark paths of Voldemort. In ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1’, the protagonist, his best friends and the Order of the Phoenix must face the challenges of destroying the horcruxes, sources of the Dark Lord’s immortality.
For the producers of ‘Deathly Hallows’, however, the challenge was different — and it was as difficult as Harry’s.
At a certain point in the plot, Harry and his friends are in danger when they realize that one of their protective spells has broken. Determined to protect Potter from evil threats, the other wizards come together to take him safely to the Weasleys’ lair. The way the young people found to shield Harry along the way was, surprisingly, by becoming copies of him through Polyjuice Potion. It is at this moment that the iconic ‘Seven Harrys’ scene takes place.
In itself, the excerpt is unforgettable: there are seven versions of the “little wizard”, one next to the other, with the clothes of each of the friends transformed. It was magic in its purest form for the spectators and a headache for the entire film production.
In total, it took 95 takes to complete the ‘Battle of the Seven Potters’.
“Basically you have a camera with motion control and it’s programmed by a computer so that it makes the same movements in each take. We would record a version of me as one of the characters and then we would record another scene with me as another character. And they were very specific things , so if you moved an inch more to the side, [o take] was discarded, because then, in theory, I would be bumping into another version of myself”, explained Daniel Radcliffe, Harry’s interpreter, in an interview that revisited the curious moment.
The seventh chapter of the Potter saga was released in 2010, when this type of technology was practically inaccessible in cinema – and quite complex to use. Even though the most recent Marvel films make us think that everything is easy and quick, the reality for the film’s producers about Harry Potter’s latest adventure was different.
In addition to the official cameras, another 30 support cameras were used, as well as advanced ultraviolet makeup techniques to capture the actors’ expressions, which would be combined with Radcliffe’s face in post-production. The decision to mix the actors’ facial expressions was to keep the effect of Polyjuice even more real — since the potion is a kind of ‘copier’, which can make whoever ingests it transform into whoever they are.
In addition to digital issues, another major challenge was in the hands of Daniel Radcliffe himself, who had to interpret the mannerisms of each of his co-workers, dressed in their respective clothes.
To help the protagonist, the actors in the cast all performed their characters in front of him, helping him copy each character’s individual mannerisms.
In the feature’s behind-the-scenes special, the eternal Harry says: “You start to see people in a much more analytical way when you’re studying them. Like, Rupert [Grint] He walks with a certain softness in his hips… you know, it’s almost a sexy walk, if that’s appropriate to say so!”, he joked.
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1’ marks the beginning of the end of the Harry Potter Saga, which began in 2001 with ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’. Generating millions of fans around the world – who were largely introduced to literature through these stories, the franchise that made a fable profit throughout the decade (it is estimated to have grossed 7.7 billion dollars at the box office alone).
It is an undeniable milestone in pop culture and one of the first examples of the advancement of technology in the film industry. Without a doubt, it symbolizes the magic of cinema in its purest form, literally.
Remember below the trailer for ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1’, the seventh film in the successful series, adapted from the work of JK Rolling, and the famous scene that took almost a hundred takes to make.
